Stay current and plug those security holes

by aero chug

You get those messages asking you to update your system (from Microsoft). You are not sure whether or not you should allow it. You have heard of so many bad things happening when you press things (as I say to my husband ‘Button’s aren’t toys!’).

When you set up your PC some time back, you were probably asked to allow automatic updates. Hopefully, you did. If you did not, go into the Help option on your system and type in ‘Automatic Updates’. That will explain what you need to do to set it to update as new ones become available.
You may also have the update option listed at the top of your Programs menu as ‘Windows Update’. You can run the updates from there.

These are important. I swear they are! It is important that you pay attention to where those alerts are coming from…and that they are actually from Microsoft or the company that supports your Operating System. Again… read everything carefully. How often have you pressed ‘OK’ then wondered what the heck you just agreed to?

There are constant attacks on Internet Explorer by hackers to try to plant viruses and worms on systems as well as bad code out there that can create corrupt files on your systems. The constant updates are reactive patches to shore up and plug the holes that can be exploited.

Recent news about countries wanting to remove IE from their carriers services has finally hit home with Microsoft http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8469632.stm. They seem to be willing to do something about it. However, it begs the question… why is IE so vulnerable? And why do other browsers or Macs not get attacked in the same way? IE is the devil we know. Opera and Firefox never seem to have issues (that are widely publicized anyway).

In my rambling thoughts, I sometimes think that Microsoft have a room of hackers on one side of the wall and another room of developers on the other….just for fun…but that is just me.

Programs such as Limewire, BITTORRENT, ISO Hunt and other Peer to Peer apps are one of the leading ways to open a big door to your system, contract viruses and allow Trojans to root. Many of these destructive attacks can take down your system and wipe out your data on your drive (see my earlier article about backing up your systems).

Imagine how long it will take to rebuild your system and all the data on it? When you call for support, they will not speak to you unless your system has the most recent updates and security packs.

The bottom line is, on your PC, like your home, you have to be aware of what is coming through your front door. Pay attention, keep your security and system updates current. When in doubt, Google the error you are getting or call Microsoft to see if what you are seeing is legitimate.